South Alabama Looks Ahead To Road Game; Gottfried Honored
Senior Quarterback Brennan Sim walks toward the Jaguar sidelines during their win over Nicholls State on Saturday.
Fresh off of a historic weekend in South Alabama football, the Jags look forward to their next first for the program. The Jags will take their show on the road for the very first time. Their first away game will be played in Dothan, Alabama at Rip Hewes Stadium against Edward Waters with kickoff scheduled for 3pm in the Wiregrass Football Classic.
Myles Gibbon, who left the game against Nicholls State in the first quarter with a knee injury, is listed as day-to-day and is questionable for Saturday. The starter will be determined this week and the coaches say the likelihood that Myles will be the starter is less than fifty percent.
Edward Waters picked up their first victory of the season on Saturday, when they defeated the club team from New Orleans. Their 26-21 victory improved their record to 1-3. Edward Waters has allowed an average of nearly 56 points per game.
Coach Jones said that the team is really excited about playing somewhere else because it marks yet another step forward for the young team. Obviously the coaches want the trip to be as similar as possible to a home game so the planning must be meticulous.
Edward Waters runs a spread offense and throws the ball quite a bit. However, they will not be as good as Nicholls. However, it does play towards the weakest and thinest part of our defense right now. Not that the Jaguar defensive secondary is bad. It is pretty thin and could get worn down.
Coach Jones had the following to say at Monday’s media day about complacency after Saturday victory. “The bottom line is that I told our players we have got to get better. I know it’s a coaching cliché, but we’ll be better down the road if we really improve. We had some glaring weaknesses in the game [Saturday], and we know that. The way you get better is by fixing them, by looking at yourself through clear glasses and not rose-colored glasses.”
“When you look at teams that get better during the year, they have weaknesses that they go back and fix them and become really hard to beat. Everybody is going to have some weaknesses, so we have to be man enough to admit them and do all we can as a staff and as players to fix them. I’m worried about us — that’s what you always worry about in a game like this after a big game, having a letdown.”
“We have some very tough teams to play on our schedule down the road, and the only way we’re going to be able to play well against them is by getting better between now and then. We have to concentrate on the practice field and get better there and not worry so much about the games; worry about each player improving. If we do that and get our players to understand — and I think they do, they believe it now — our team improves. If every player gets five percent better, we’re going to be a much better football team.”
Also it was announced on Tuesday that the school’s Board of Trustees passed a resolution authorizing University President Gordon Moulton the authority to name a street on campus in to honor retired Athletic Director Joe Gottfried. So the road passing by the intramural fields leading to the football field house on the west side of campus will be named Joseph E. Gottfried Drive.
Coach Gottfried was instrumental in all of the attempts, and eventually the adoption, of football at the University of South Alabama. The school has been awarded the Vic Bubas Cup, the award to the program that demonstrates excellence in the league, 10 times in a 13 year span as they won 104 league titles. The school has had 54 teams compete in NCAA Championship events nad has had 123 individuals qualify for NCAA Postseason action. They have also had two national champions. Coach Gottfried retired in August of 2009 after 28 years of service to the University.